Hunger does not pause when the holidays end. For many families across North Georgia, January brings harder choices and emptier shelves. That is why every gift you give during the holiday season keeps making an impact long after the decorations come down. Through Meals by Grace, your generosity fills homes with more than food. It fills them with hope.
A Road That Hope Still Travels
Down a long dirt road in Dawson County, a boy named Bentley waits each Sunday for the Meals by Grace volunteer’s delivery car to appear. He is only ten years old, but he knows the sound of the tires turning up the gravel drive. The moment he hears it, he runs out barefoot, waving and calling, “You came!”
Bentley lives with his grandfather, a retired construction worker who is now homebound after a severe injury. The two share a small trailer that sits near the woods. They live simply, with a few pieces of worn furniture, a space heater by the door, and photos of family tucked into a single picture frame.
Before Meals by Grace started delivering, they had almost nothing in the kitchen. Bentley often ate cereal for dinner so his grandfather could have the last bit of canned soup. When volunteers began arriving with boxes of groceries, everything changed. Fresh produce, milk, bread, and even some of Bentley’s favorite snacks began appearing each week.
He still helps unpack the boxes, carefully setting the food on the counter. “I am getting good at cooking,” he says proudly. His favorite meal to make now is pasta. His grandfather smiles from his chair and always says the same thing to the volunteers before they leave: “Tell them thank you.”
More Than Food on the Table
Each meal represents something deeper than physical nourishment. It is the relief of a parent who can finally rest at night. It is the dignity of a caregiver who can offer more than apologies. It is the joy of a child who no longer worries about when they will eat again.
When you give to Meals by Grace, your gift goes beyond filling boxes. It fuels the vehicles that deliver food to families who cannot get to a pantry. It keeps the shelves stocked and the refrigerators running. It ensures that every knock on the door comes with compassion inside.
Last year, donations from the End-of-Year campaign helped expand the program’s reach to more than 500 families a month. Each delivery carries a message of care, reminding people they are seen, valued, and loved.
The Hidden Hunger of Winter
For many families, the joy of the holidays is quickly followed by the harsh reality of winter. Higher utility bills make it harder to keep the heat on. Grocery prices climb while paychecks stay the same. As parents stretch their limited budgets to cover holiday expenses, food often becomes the first thing to go.
When school cafeterias close for winter break, the strain deepens. Thousands of children lose access to the breakfast and lunch programs they rely on during the week. For families already struggling to pay heating bills or make up for missed workdays, that gap can be devastating.
Meals by Grace steps into that space, ensuring children have meals even when school kitchens are closed and families are at their most vulnerable. Your year-end gift helps fill those critical weeks with consistent deliveries that sustain families through the hardest part of the year.
But the need does not disappear when classes resume. All winter long, families across Forsyth and Dawson Counties are forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children. Rising costs make simple meals feel like luxuries, and parents often go without so their kids can eat.
A single box of groceries can ease that pressure. It means a warm dinner after a cold day, fruit for a child’s lunchbox, and relief from the worry that keeps parents awake at night. That is why your support matters most in these months because your generosity meets families exactly where their need is greatest.
What Your Gift Provides for Hungry Children
Every dollar you give helps ensure that no child in our community has to go to bed hungry. Your generosity provides real, tangible care that families can count on week after week.
Here is what your donation can do through Meals by Grace:
- $25 provides fresh produce for a child who might otherwise go without fruits and vegetables.
- $300 supplies groceries to a home like Bentley’s for an entire week.
Each amount meets a need. Together, they ensure that children across Forsyth and Dawson Counties have food on the table and hope in their hearts.
How You Can Help Families Like Bentley’s
Your gift today can make sure the Meals by Grace vans keep rolling into neighborhoods where hunger hides quietly behind closed doors.
Here is how you can make a difference:
- Give a one-time donation to help stock shelves and deliver food to families in need.
- Join The Bridge to provide consistent meals every month of the year.
- Ask your employer if they offer a matching gift program to double your impact.
- Share Bentley’s story to inspire others to give or volunteer.
Every meal you provide does more than fill a stomach. It tells a family, “You are not forgotten.”
Hope That Keeps Moving
Meals by Grace began with a simple idea: to make sure no child goes hungry. With your help, it has grown into a lifeline for families who need more than a meal.
When you give this season, you are fueling more than food deliveries. You are driving hope down that same dirt road, week after week, where Bentley waits and smiles as the van comes into view.
